Your Thoughts: Muppets Live at the Hollywood Bowl September 8-10, 2017

Yeah, some parts of dialogue are pre-recorded, some not. For example, Fozzies joke during the intro is pre-recorded, as well as any dialogue or utterances during Can You Picture That. Still a fantastic show

My wife and I saw the Friday and Saturday shows. It was great fun to see the performers live on stage, and I'm so glad they went Avenue Q style and let us see the puppeteers (though sometimes shrouded). The second show was better, with more ad-libbing and responding to the audience.

Matt did a good job and is a fine puppeteer, but I wished it was Steve up there. Matt's Kermit seemed to pretty much read his lines and that's it, while I feel like Steve's Kermit would have had more warmth, as he had in many past appearances.

I know that in five years, I'll hardly be able to remember my quibbles with Matt's Kermit. This transition will take time.

The one thing I hope for out of all this is that a new Kermit era prompts the writers to make him more positive. The Bowl show still had evidence of what I call Kranky Kermit Syndrome: when the conductor asks Kermit if all of his friends are weird, he hesitates, then deadpans, "Yes." It gets a laugh, but where's the follow up, "and I love 'em and we're gonna put on a great show, yayyy!"?

And what is the very last thing Kermit does in the whole show? Scold Animal for making noise, then frown and say, "Good grief." We had some other fans near us (people who didn't pack up early and bolt for the exits), and that ending didn't get a laugh from them.

On the plus side, we really enjoyed the opening theme, Movin' Right Along, the corporate spoofery of Pigs in Space, and Pepe taking over the orchestra. And it was great to see it live with a hillside full of fans!

Yolanda got a line in The Magic Store! I didn't expect that since she's not played by one of the core performers. Also the end where the Muppeteers including Ryan Dillon and Carmen Osbahr are reveled and the spotlight the core ones was great.
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It could have been Peter Linz or it could have been someone else cause someone on here thought Peter looked like Brian Henson under Robin in the frog number. I assume Brian wouldn't be there.

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It wasn't Peter, because he takes a bow at the end with the core performers, whereas the person holding Bunsen stays behind. And yeah, I don't think it's Brian. If Brian were actually doing it, you'd think they'd bring back Sal.

It wasn't Peter, because he takes a bow at the end with the core performers, whereas the person holding Bunsen stays behind. And yeah, I don't think it's Brian. If Brian were actually doing it, you'd think they'd bring back Sal.

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Ah yeah I didn't even realize that. But yeah I would hope they would bring Sal back if he was back! But that's defiently not him.